Effect of processing conditions on microstructure and electrical characteristics of Ni thin films

Ni thin films with an intermediate layer of Cr were prepared by using dc magnetron sputtering under different conditions. Effects of deposition temperature, post-deposition annealing on the microstructure and the electrical characteristics were investigated. The relationship between film microstructure and its resistivity was analyzed. It was found that the crystal grains aggregated into large ones when the deposition temperature reached or exceeded 150 °C. This could be explained that high deposition temperature conduced high activation energy, which increased surface mobility of the adatoms. Annealing treatments resulted in the densification of the films. Resistivity of the films strongly depended on grain size and crystallinity. The influence of Cr intermediate layer on the resistivity was also discussed. Compared to annealing treatment, the deposition temperature exhibited larger controlling effect on film resistivity.